General info needed about 2008 E Class 220 Classic - things to look for, common pobs.

[nidgemo]

Hi there

I'm thinking of buying a 2008 E class 220 Classic.

I currently own a lexus 220D, and, while it's been reasonable good to me, there are some common problems people on the lexus forums would be able to tell anyone about.

So the question I have is, are there any specific common problems in 2008 E Class?
Anything in particular I need to be looking out for?
Any questions I need to be asking the dealer?
Anything else I should know?
Are any of the more common issues very expensive, or are they at least smaller issues?

Really, anything at all you Merc owners, (and particularly owners of this age and model) can tell me will be really useful, and hopefully I'll soon be here a lot more as a proud E Class owner myself!

PS - if it's of relevance, the model I'm looking at is late 2008, 93k miles and a full, though non merc dealer, service history - dark grey with wood trim, black leather interior etc.

Thanks!

 

[blue gnome123]

After 2006 the eclass electric niggles were sort and I believe that the 220 is particularly reliable (my occasional airport run taxi e220 had near 500k miles on it before the guy sold it. With no engine probs and one gearbox refurb at 300k). So not much to look out for specifically.

 

[Troon]

The Classic is the bottom of the pile on spec, so make sure you're paying an appropriate price for it.

Brochure (PDF)
Price list (PDF)

Very few "common" problems. Make sure:

• no "black death" (leaking injector seals). Pop the engine cover off, lift off the foam block (if fitted) and make sure there is no black gunge around the injectors. This seems a more prevalent problem on MB than most; I've had three incidents, but it's not a big problem if you catch it early. Example (advanced stage): http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/1871010-post7.html
• the heater works, blowing hot or cold as requested to both sides and rear. The centre vents may only dispense cool air: that's normal, but make sure the outboard vents can go burning hot or freezing cold. The problem part here is the "duovalve": failure isn't common but it is a pig to get at.
• have a look around for cracked trim. Mine had a cracked mirror indicator and three of the four seat rail trim covers in the rear footwells were cracked.
• evidence of gearbox oil change, if it's an auto. This should have been done at 37k miles as a one-off.

Are you buying the wrong body style, or an estate?

 

[nidgemo]

thanks

thanks blue gnome and troon

Some good tips for what to look out for there, which I wouldn't have known about.

Would £8k for a 2008 with 93k on it sound acceptable?

Troon - I already have wardrobes in the house, so don't need one on wheels in the driveway

 

[Troon]

Would £8k for a 2008 with 93k on it sound acceptable?

That sounds high for a Classic saloon IMO. It'd need to be an auto, immaculate with a few decent options and backed by a good warranty.

Assuming you mean the grey one, it's an auto and it has "upgraded" wheels (in the eye of the beholder) but that's about it: no parking sensors, no heated seats. If it is that car, you're also talking NI prices, which I don't know about. That money would get you a lower-mileage Avantgarde (see brochure for differences) over here.

 

[nidgemo]

Cheers troon - that's the very one - yeah, as you say, it's NI prices - that one is significantly lower than any others over here - and yes, the wheels are hideous!

If I could get anywhere UK based to deliver and take a trade in of the lexus from photos, I'd happily do it!

 

[Troon]

Oh, it has leather too. That is certainly a nice upgrade if you have kids - more chocolate-resistant! I wouldn't want leather without heated seats though.

If you can get the VIN (17 characters at the base of the windscreen, starts WDB211008) we can look up the exact spec for you, but I can't see any more obvious options.

 

[nidgemo]

Hi troon

ends in 2B315001

yeah, it's leather, and also has bluetooth.

Also appears aux for ipod is easily fitted direct to the head unit - just a pity it has no heated seats, parking sensors and nav.

The lex was as fully loaded as anything I've ever seen, but I've come to accept I'm not going to get that kind of spec for my budget in a bigger car (or indeed any car)

 

[Troon]

Data card below. Nothing else of note in that list: the wheels are (unsurprisingly) not original as it came out of the factory on 16"; no DPF is fitted (would be code 474).


Engine number: 646821 30 209684
Transmission: 722640 07 330402

SA code:

205B OWNERS MANUAL AND SERVICE RECORD - ENGLISH
255B No code designation available
280 LEATHER STEERING WHEEL AND LEATHER GEAR SHIFT KNOB
283B AIRBAGLABLE - ENGLISH
335B INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LANGUAGE - BRITISH ENGLISH
354 ANTENNA FOR TELEPHONE D/E-NET
386 MOBILE PRE.-INSTALLATION (MTUS)
423 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
461 INSTRUMENT WITH MILES IND. AND ENGLISH LEGEND
477 TIRE PRESSURE LOSS WARNER
523 RADIO AUDIO 20
537L GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
551 ANTI-THEFT/ANTI-BREAK-IN WARNING SYSTEM
573 CHILD SEAT MOUNTING, ISOFIX IN REAR
580 AIR CONDITIONER
5XXL EUROPE
613 HEADLAMP LEFT-HAND TRAFFIC
666 PRODUCT PROT.F.TRANSPORT VEH. W/O TIE-DOWN HOOKS
673 HIGH-CAPACITY BATTERY
690 EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE (MINI SPARE)
734 EUCALYPTUS WOOD FINISH
755U TENORITE GRAY METALLIC PAINT
808 AEJ 07/1
817 HOUSING FOR ALARM SIREN (ATA)
820A AMARETTA/LEATHER/NAPPA/SEMI-ANILINE
821A AMARETTA/LEATHER/NAPPA/SEMI-ANILINE - BLACK/ANTH.
875 HEATED SCREEN WASH SYSTEM
882 INTERIOR SAFEGUARD
910 DYNAMO WITH HIGHER CAPACITY (FFO)
926 EXHAUST GAS CLEANING WITH EURO 4 TECHNOLOGY
953 CLASSIC/STANDARD EQUIPMENT
983 COC PAPER EURO 4 TECHNOLOGY W/O REG. CERT. PART II
989 IDENTIFICATION LABEL UNDER WINDSHIELD
F211 SERIES PRODUCTION 211
FW LIMOUSINE
GA AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
HA REAR AXLE
K11 ADAPTIVE STOP LIGHT FLASHING
K13 STEUERCODE FUER SERVICEINTERVALL 25000 KM
M002 ENGINES WITH EXH.TURBOCHARGER WITH INTERCOOLER
M010 EVO/VEHICLE UPGRADE ENGINES
M22 DISPLACEMENT 2.2 LITER
M646 R4-DIESEL ENGINE OM646
NB0 NEW VEHICLE DOCUMENTS: DAIMLER AG
R RIGHT-HAND STEERING
R01 SUMMER TIRES
R20 LIGHT-ALLOY 7-SPOKE WHEEL DESIGN 16 INCH
U18 AUTOMATIC CHILD SEAT RECOGNITATION (AKSE)
V08 SPEED- + LOADINDEX 92V
VL FRONT AXLE HALF, LEFT
VR FRONT AXLE HALF, RIGHT

 

[nidgemo]

Thanks troon

couple of questions that raises, that you might be able to help with...

What is "537L GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND" Sounds like a nav system - there's certainly no screen but is there some kind of turn by turn in the instrument cluster?

Is this an egr valve? 926 EXHAUST GAS CLEANING WITH EURO 4 TECHNOLOGY Ordinarily they'd come along with a dpf?

And does this M010 EVO/VEHICLE UPGRADE ENGINES mean there's some form of upgraded engine in it?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[machineheadrock]

I just got my CLK with heated leather seats and my last BMW Coupe had leather seats no heat, and I have no idea how I lived without the heat for so long.

Now I'm like..."yeah.. lets put the heated seats on" on like, every journey.

lol, my girlfriend loves it, she fell asleep!!

 

[Troon]

Thanks troon

couple of questions that raises, that you might be able to help with...

What is "537L GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND" Sounds like a nav system - there's certainly no screen but is there some kind of turn by turn in the instrument cluster?

Is this an egr valve? 926 EXHAUST GAS CLEANING WITH EURO 4 TECHNOLOGY Ordinarily they'd come along with a dpf?

And does this M010 EVO/VEHICLE UPGRADE ENGINES mean there's some form of upgraded engine in it?

Thanks for all your help!

537L is just the market code, to specify RHD, mph, radio frequencies etc.

926 is the emissions level, no DPF as no 474. All diesels have some form of EGR these days.

M010 specifies the 170PS OM646 EVO engine as opposed to the 150PS OM646 in the pre-facelifts.

 

[nidgemo]

Great troon - thanks!

 

[nidgemo]

Hi Troon - could I get you to run another VIN?

The vin number of the car is wdb2110082b4186632

 

[Troon]

On the hopefully-prescient assumption that you pressed your "6" button too many times, see below. A black E220CDI facelift Avantgarde (xenons standard), 2009MY, Audio 20, still no DPF. Only options above standard AG spec are the auto box and heated leather seats, but that's fine.

VIN : WDB2110082B418632

Engine number : 646821 30 333055
Sales des. : E 220 CDI
Radio unit no. : AL282080914286
Order number .: 0 8 537 55886
Transmission .: 722640 07 630770

SA code:

197U: OBSIDIAN BLACK
205B: OWNERS MANUAL AND SERVICE RECORD - ENGLISH
249: INSIDE AND OUTSIDE MIRROR AUTOMATIC DIMMING
255B: No code designation available
280: LEATHER STEERING WHEEL AND LEATHER GEAR SHIFT KNOB
283B: AIRBAGLABLE - ENGLISH
335B: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LANGUAGE - BRITISH ENGLISH
354: ANTENNA FOR TELEPHONE D/E-NET
386: MOBILE PRE.-INSTALLATION (MTUS)
423: 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
461: INSTRUMENT WITH MILES IND. AND ENGLISH LEGEND
477: TIRE PRESSURE LOSS WARNER
48N: STEUERCODE WERK SINDELFINGEN/GRAZ
500: OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR LH AND RH FOLDING
523: RADIO AUDIO 20
537L: GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
543: SUN VISOR WITH MAKE-UP MIRROR L. AND R., BE-
551: ANTI-THEFT/ANTI-BREAK-IN WARNING SYSTEM
573: CHILD SEAT MOUNTING, ISOFIX IN REAR
580: AIR CONDITIONER
5XXL: EUROPE
600: HEADLAMPS - CLEANING EQUIPMENT
618: BI-XENON HEADLAMPS FOR LEFT-HAND TRAFFIC
619: CORNERING ILLUMINATION
666: PRODUCT PROT.F.TRANSPORT VEH. W/O TIE-DOWN HOOKS
673: HIGH-CAPACITY BATTERY
677: AVANTGARDE/STANDARD SUSPENSION
690: EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE (MINI SPARE)
732: WOOD VERSION,BIRD'S EYE MAPLE BLACK/ANTHRACITE
809: AEJ 06/1/M/X
817: HOUSING FOR ALARM SIREN (ATA)
820A: AMARETTA/LEATHER/NAPPA/SEMI-ANILINE
821A: AMARETTA/LEATHER/NAPPA/SEMI-ANILINE - BLACK/ANTH.
873: SEAT HEATER FOR LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT SEATS
875: HEATED SCREEN WASH SYSTEM
882: INTERIOR SAFEGUARD
910: DYNAMO WITH HIGHER CAPACITY (FFO)
926: EXHAUST GAS CLEANING WITH EURO 4 TECHNOLOGY
954: EQUIPMENT PACKAGE FOR AVANTGARDE VEHICLES
983: COC PAPER EURO 4 TECHNOLOGY W/O REG. CERT. PART II
989: IDENTIFICATION LABEL UNDER WINDSHIELD
99N: STEUERCODE WERK SINDELFINGEN/GRAZ
F211: SERIES PRODUCTION 211
FW: LIMOUSINE
GA: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
HA: REAR AXLE
K11: ADAPTIVE STOP LIGHT FLASHING
K13: STEUERCODE FUER SERVICEINTERVALL 25000 KM
M002: ENGINES WITH EXH.TURBOCHARGER WITH INTERCOOLER
M010: EVO/VEHICLE UPGRADE ENGINES
M22: DISPLACEMENT 2.2 LITER
M646: R4-DIESEL ENGINE OM646
R: RIGHT-HAND STEERING
R01: SUMMER TIRES
R78: LA 16" 5 DOUBLE SPOKE DESIGN
U18: AUTOMATIC CHILD SEAT RECOGNITATION (AKSE)
V01: SPEED- + LOADINDEX 95V
VL: FRONT AXLE HALF, LEFT
VR: FRONT AXLE HALF, RIGHT

 

[nidgemo]

Brilliant, thanks!

Anything I should be aware of it that? Most glaring is no parktronic!

Is that paint metallic (dealer is saying it is)?

It's got mobile pre installation (assume that means bluetooth), bi-xenons, leather heated seats (are they the proper nappa leather, not the fake stuff?)

Again, no coded 474 means no dpf, correct?

Radio is stated as Audio 20, but in the pics it looks different...

I thought the one with the matrix display was audio 20, but this car has a colour lcd one - see pics

 

[Troon]

Do double-check the VIN, as the one you gave me was not recognized, so I had to guess what you meant.

Parking sensors can easily be retrofitted. My estate had a very OEM-looking system installed at the rear only with less than 6k miles on the clock.

Yes, no 474 seems to mean no DPF.

Not sure what the phone pre-wire means at 09MY. On earlier cars, it'd be the UHI connector in the centre console but NTG 2.5 updated that.

197 Obsidian Black is metallic. 040 Black is the solid one.

 

[nidgemo]

Excellent - yes, it is the same car (or it's a HUGE coincidence to have exactly the same spec etc as the one I'm looking at!)

It appears (and the dealer has sent pics) that the centre console unit is empty, but the phone IS connecting, so it must literally be a pre-wired option?

I've had a quote locally for £170 for retrofirring sensors (audio only) - would that sound OK, or are the sets you get from ebay for £30 easily enough self fitted for a compotent DIY'er?

something like these
NEW Premium Reversing/Parking/Back-up Ultrasonic 4 Sensor Kit with Alarm/Buzzer | eBay

Which, apparentely are the OEM sensors for some manufacturers)

 

[nidgemo]

Oh also, do you work for merc? Are you able to access the service history through that VIN?

 

[Troon]

Heh, no I don't work for MB and cannot get the service history. Sorry.

I'm not familiar with the audio units except my own NTG 1 COMAND, so don't know how the phone connects. You may want to check if you have a line-in socket, though: on the pre-09MY cars, COMAND was the only option to provide a factory-fitted line-in socket.

Can't comment on parking sensors, as I've never fitted any. That may change soon if I decide to get some for the wife's car. I'd go the DIY route but don't know how competent you are...